should tell him of her plan to finance Lee’s transplant. If this book deal failed, she wouldn’t be able to pay for the entire procedure, but in the state Lee was in, could she hold off telling the doctors to plan for the transplant? Madison was right. She’d overstepped her boundaries, but she couldn’t help herself. “James, if there’s a way to fund this transplant, do you think it would be possible to keep her in the hospital until then?” She pushed her shopping cart forward a few inches as the line slowly moved. If checkout continued at this rate, she’d be holed up in this grocery store for the duration of the storm.
“Yes, those funds can go toward whatever her insurance doesn’t cover. I hope this helped,” James added.
“I’m guessing this is going to be a very merry Christmas for Lee and Charlotte if all goes according to what you’ve told me. Again, thanks, and I’ll be in touch.” Lauren ended the call, unsure if she should call Lee or keep to the sidelines. Which reminded her, she had to deliver Charlotte’s jacket before the storm. Unsure where she was staying, Lauren pulled from her bag the slip of paper on which Lacey had written her phone number and Kiley’s—just in case, Lacey had said as she slipped the paper into Lauren’s hand. The girl was way more mature than her age, Lauren decided as she punched in her number. A woman answered on the first ring. “Hi, this is Lauren Montgomery. Is this—”
“Lauren, Lacey said you might call. I’m Beth.”
She sounded cheerful, friendly. “Yes, Beth, I was wondering if Charlotte is staying with you tonight. The girls came into the store and told me about Lee. I wanted to let her know my friend has arranged for Lee to stay in the hospital a few more days.”
“That’s wonderful! Char will be thrilled. Hang on a second.”
Lauren heard muffled voices, then Charlotte took the phone. “Hey, Lauren. Beth says you have good news.”
“I think I do. My friend was able to pull a few strings, and he says they’ll keep your mom in the hospital.”
“Awesome! Did she say she’d do the transplant thing? I’m ready to do my part, just so she knows,” Charlotte added.
“I don’t have all the details just yet. It might be a good idea to call your mom, check up on her, see how she feels about this new . . . development. I’m pretty sure she hasn’t been told yet.”
“Sure, I’ll call her now. Mom hasn’t been feeling like celebrating Christmas this year, but I think this news might just change her mind. I really, really appreciate this.” Charlotte paused. “I could help out at your store, you know, to, like, repay you. Sort of.”
Her heart lurched. “Oh, sweetie, that’s so kind of you.” She was going to add she didn’t need extra help, but wondered if Maggie would appreciate an extra hand? “I might have to leave town for a few days, a business trip. I’m having a family friend working at the store. She might need a hand. Is it all right if I give her your phone number? Just in case. Her name is Maggie, and she’s a close friend of my family.” This was all contingent on the weather. Lauren could very well be working at the store herself if her flight was canceled.
“Yes, please tell her we all can help. We’re kinda like our own version of the three musketeers.”
Lauren couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll tell Maggie. I’ll let you go now so you can call your mom, share the news, and maybe convince her this is what you want, too.”
“Okay, I will. And Lauren, thanks so much. No one has really helped mom this past year, at least not like this.”
“It’s fine, Charlotte. This is what the season is all about, helping others. Now go ahead and call your mom. Wait!” She almost forgot about the jacket. “Listen, I stopped at Threads and saw a really cute jacket. On a whim, I thought you might like it. Would it be okay if I dropped this off on my way home?”
“Cool! Sure, I don’t think Beth would mind,” Charlotte answered, excitement lifting her voice a few octaves. “You know the blue house on the corner of Westbury and Skyline?”
Lauren laughed. “Of course I do. I’ll see you shortly,” she said, then disconnected.
She had not wanted to embarrass the girl with her offer and was very glad that Charlotte hadn’t